Family Movies The Greatest Animal Movies Ever Made

Originally by Ranker Community

56.2k votes 6.9k voters 718.6k views 189 items

List Rules Movies that feature animals as main characters, live action or animated

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Some of the best and most beloved movies feature cute pets, barnyard critters, jungle animals, and dangerous beasts. What is the best animal movie of all time? This is a crowdranked list of great movies that star real, animated, or animatronic animals. Pet movies aren't just for the dogs anymore. What's the best movie about animals? If a movie makes you cry or cheer or feel unusually invested... odds are good that there's a plucky animal involved. If a film makes you grip your arm rests, cover your eyes, and feel like something's crawling on you, there might just be an animatronic shark or CGI spider on the screen. (But we'd rather look at cute baby animals.)

Some of the most heart-wrenching scenes in movies involve children or strong heroic lead men losing their beloved dogs or horses. The best funny talking animal movies have a diverse mix of animal actors, including cats, dogs, birds, monkeys, and sea mammals. Voice talent from famous A-list actors provides laughs and quotable lines for both children and adults.

These are the best movies with animals either as the main characters or as the main focus. Vote up your favorites to move them higher on the list, or do a full re-rank to create a list of your favorite animal movies. If you see your favorite animal films are missing, go ahead and add them!

list ordered by

1

1,661 443

The Lion KingWhoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, Matthew Broderick The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical epic film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd animated feature in the Walt Disney ...more

2

755 403

Homeward Bound: The Incredible JourneySally Field, Michael J. Fox, Frank Welker Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a 1993 American remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, which was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Sheila Burnford. Directed ...more

3

1,139 321

Finding NemoEllen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, Eric Bana Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton, it ...more

4

725 448

BabeHugo Weaving, James Cromwell, Miriam Margolyes Babe is a 1995 comedy-drama film, co-written and directed by Chris Noonan. It is an adaptation of Dick King-Smith's 1983 novel The Sheep-Pig, also known as Babe: The Gallant Pig in the USA, ...more

5

872 417

Ice AgeJack Black, Ray Romano, Jane Krakowski Ice Age is a 2002 American computer-animated comedy adventure film directed by Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge from a story by Michael J. Wilson. It was produced by Blue Sky Studios and ...more

6

729 250

BambiSterling Holloway, Sam Edwards, Cammie King Bambi is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand, produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten. The film was ...more

7

763 270

RatatouillePeter O'Toole, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the eighth film produced by Pixar, and was co-written ...more

8

788 377

Jurassic ParkSamuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the first installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. It is based on the 1990 novel of the ...more

9

487 425

JawsSteven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The prototypical summer blockbuster, its release is regarded as a ...more

10

665 131

Lady and the TrampPeggy Lee, Stan Freberg, Dallas McKennon Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated romantic musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on 22 June 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The 15th film in the ...more

11

495 488

King KongNaomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody King Kong is a 2005 epic monster film and remake of the 1933 film of the same name. Directed, co-written, and produced by Peter Jackson, it stars Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow, Jack Black as Carl ...more

12

640 208

101 DalmatiansHugh Laurie, Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels 101 Dalmatians is a 1996 family comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Stephen Herek. It is the second adaptation of Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One ...more

13

436 251

Old YellerChuck Connors, Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire Old Yeller is a 1957 American family tragedy film produced by Walt Disney. It stars Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire and Beverly Washburn. It is about a boy and a stray dog in Texas. It is based upon ...more

14

563 175

Charlotte's WebDebbie Reynolds, Danny Bonaduce, Henry Gibson Charlotte's Web is a 1973 American animated musical film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Sagittarius Productions and based upon the 1952 children's book of the same name by E. B. ...more

15

645 258

How to Train Your DragonGerard Butler, Kristen Wiig, David Tennant How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated action-fantasy film by DreamWorks Animation loosely based on the British book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell. The ...more

16

480 153

The AristocatsEva Gabor, Ruth Buzzi, Scatman Crothers The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature film produced and released by Walt Disney Productions and features the voices of Eva Gabor, Hermione Baddeley, Phil Harris, Dean Clark, ...more

17

500 169

The Jungle BookClint Howard, George Sanders, Louis Prima The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions. Inspired by the Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney ...more

18

550 351

Ice Age: Dawn of the DinosaursQueen Latifah, Kristen Wiig, Jane Lynch Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a 2009 American 3-D computer animated comedy adventure film, and the third installment in the Ice Age series. It was produced by Blue Sky Studios and ...more

19

624 147

The Fox and the HoundKurt Russell, Mickey Rooney, Corey Feldman he Fox and the Hound is a 1981 American animated drama film based on the Daniel P. Mannix novel of the same name, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in the United States on July ...more

20

448 289

Free WillyDanielle Harris, Michael Madsen, Michael Ironside Free Willy is a 1993 American family drama film that was released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a delinquent boy who becomes ...more

21

435 110

DumboSterling Holloway, Cliff Edwards, Verna Felton Dumbo is an American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions and premiered on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures. Sound was recorded conventionally using the RCA System. One voice ...more

22

474 297

Ice Age: The MeltdownQueen Latifah, Jay Leno, Ariel Winter Ice Age: The Meltdown is a 2006 American computer-animated comedy adventure film. It is a sequel to the 2002 computer-animated film Ice Age. It was produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century ...more

23

439 217

JumanjiKirsten Dunst, Robin Williams, Patricia Clarkson Jumanji is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston. It is an adaptation of the 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The film was directed by Joe ...more

24

502 254

Kung Fu PandaAngelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy martial arts film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by John Stevenson and ...more

25

329 258

Black BeautySean Bean, Alan Cumming, Peter Cook Black Beauty is a 1994 film adaptation of Anna Sewell's novel by the same name directed by Caroline Thompson in her directorial debut. The film stars Andrew Knott, Sean Bean and David Thewlis. ...more